Milligan Highway is traversed everyday not only by the general public, but also by Milligan students, faculty and staff. However, towards the end of September things took a turn for the worse, and with frequent accidents near our campus, Milligan students are being affected.
The first accident occured on Sept. 23. A green, 50s style pickup truck went off the side of the road just up the street from Aunt B’s restaurant. The truck had wedged itself between a tree and a small hill on the side of the road. However, the most disturbing thing about this accident was that the truck was flipped upside down. You’re good. I only got through half of this at work Hie. sorry, i just got home from work
The next accident happened on Sept. 25. In front of the West Carter County Volunteer Police Department, Car A stopped on Milligan Highway when Car B hit their rear. Car B then went into oncoming traffic and immediately hit Car C. Car C traveled only 20 feet after the collision and rested on the side of the road. No one was hurt, but one of the cars was totalled.
The third accident to occur on Milligan Highway transpired on Sept. 29; two cars hit each other not even a third of a mile from the Happy Valley Elementary School. One of the drivers had reached down for her drink when she proceeded to swerve into an oncoming car. The second driver sustained minor lacerations due to his mirror being flung towards him.
Things get closer to home with a story from Ashlyn Lightfoot, a junior at Milligan. She was driving from the Dollar General on Milligan Highway towards the Village on Gov Alf Taylor Avenue, the backroad that goes by the counseling center and tennis courts. She had just turned onto the road when she noticed that a Hummer was coming down towards her, the driver seemingly texting on his phone.
“I pulled as far over as I could and just stopped for the fear of trying to get out of the way and still getting hit,” Ashlyn recalled. “If he would have hit me, it would have been a head on collision. I didn’t honk my horn or anything; after what happened had sunk in, I started shaking and I realized how bad it could have been.”
This goes without saying that people need to be more careful out there on the road. Do yourself a favor, and put the phone or drink down. Be courteous when you stop, and pay attention to your surroundings. Vehicles can be dangerous, and it doesn’t take much for you or someone else to take someone’s life.